I'll just have to pray Nikki will understand this, too. He knows how much it means to me to finally be free from my past, so I'm certain he'd never begrudge me this. It's not as if I see Ze as anything but a good friend. And he certainly only sees me as a pesky human he's charged with protecting.

"Fine. You can...try," I say as I take a deep breath.

He shuffles closer to me, his hand circling my wrist as he pulls my arm toward him. Leaning forward, I feel his breath brush against my skin as he hovers his mouth over my upper arm. He trails his lips over my skin and a tremor travels down my back.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I await for him to do...whatever he needs to do.

Moving from my shoulder to my collarbone, he finally presses his open mouth over my skin, his tongue trailing along the contour of my marks.

A scorching heat envelops my entire upper body, almost as if the marks themselves were on fire. My pulse speeds up, my heart racing unlike ever before. More heat coils in my stomach as my breathing grows labored until I'm panting. My body tingles all over, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, there's an insane pulsation that grows in intensity with every lick of his tongue.

"Agh," I cry out, pushing him and falling on my back in an attempt to get away from him.

His eyes widen in shock, but it's not because of my outburst. Following his gaze, I look down to find the previously dark markings on my body lighting up like a Christmas tree.

"What's happening?" I ask in a wobbly voice. "What's happening to me, Ze?"

The burning sensation continues, although it's not entirely unpleasant. It's just...foreign.

"I am not certain," he answers, his expression puzzled.

I rub my hands down my arms and chest, and slowly, the light goes out until my marks become the same dull dark spot of ink as before.

"But I can tell you one thing," he continues, looking conflicted. "Those are not brandings made by a human."

THIRTY-THREE

"Arms up," he commands, holding the hoodie up for me.

"You're being awfully bossy," I mumble under my breath, but I do as he says. I raise my arms, allowing him to slide the hoodie down on my body.

My clothes are now dry, and I'm no longer cold. But more questions than ever are clamoring inside my head.

"I told you before, human. You are my person. That means I protect you," he mentions smoothly before he throws a few more twigs over the fire. He tugs me closer to the flame, his hand moving up and down my back as he emulates the comforting gesture I used on him.

"What did you mean by that? If the markings were not made by a human, then who..."